Silent Night
by Jack M. Kaiser
Summary: Only good things are supposed to happen on the holidays, right? Not for Jack, who, of course, gets himself into trouble... again.


**Silent Night**

**Summary:** Only good things are supposed to happen on the holidays, right? Not for Jack, who, of course, gets himself into trouble... again.

**Timeframe: **AU

**Characters/pairings: **Jack/Sam, Daniel/Janet

**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort

**Note:** This story is dedicated to my father who passed away on 12/3/13 at the age of 68. Special thanks to my best friend and evil brain twin ScrufflyLovin and to EvilAngelGenius.

I apologize for this being posted late. I tried to post yesterday but I couldn't log in here. Despite the delay, I hope that you like it.

The snowflakes floated silently from the sky like white fairies, glistening in the bright streetlights as they fell to the ground below. As Jack admired the beautiful sight, he pondered the events of the year about to end. It'd been almost ten months since he'd been granted an exemption from the Frat Regs, allowing him to finally marry the woman that he'd been madly in love with. It was a gift from the President after Jack had helped foil a plot to take over the presidency by Kinsey; taking the bullet that was meant for President Hayes. He smiled as he remembered Sam strolling down the aisle in her white wedding dress; her blue eyes sparkling more than the sequins that covered her gown.

Jack turned from the window and looked across the room at their Christmas tree. Keeping his eyes on the gaily wrapped presents piled beneath the tree, he made his way over and knelt down at them. A long box wrapped in shiny blue paper with a big silver bow on it caught his eye and unable to help himself, he reached out to pick it up.

"Jack O'Neill! What do you think you are doing?"

Jack quickly pulled his hands back and clumsily made his way to his feet. He turned to see a very angry Sam standing behind him with her hands on her hips.

"I... uh... nothing my love," Jack stammered looking sheepish.

"Nothing my eye! It looked to me like you were getting a bit nosy there, mister," Sam gave him a pretend evil glare.

"Well, it is Christmas Eve and I just thought that maybe, just maybe, I might get to open one," Jack replied with his head down, but looked up at her hopefully.

Sam laughed as she walked up to Jack and put her arms around him, "You're such a big kid!"

"Yeah, that's what ya love most about me," Jack said then leaned his head down to give her a kiss. "So, can I?"

"Nope. You're going to have to wait until Janet, Daniel, and Cassie get here later and even then you can only open one."

"Oh goodie! What time are they gettin' here?"

"Janet said about seven. She's on duty at the Academy Hospital until six. So, you have to wait three more hours."

Jack put on his best pouty face, but it quickly faded when he noticed that Sam was totally unaffected by it. "What time are you going to get T?"

"I was just about to leave when I noticed someone poking around the presents."

"Hmm I wonder who that might have been?" Jack asked teasingly.

"I have no idea, I never saw him before. Although, he was pretty good looking," Sam replied then giggled as Jack began to nibble on her neck. "I have to stop at the store after I pick Teal'c up at the SGC. I forgot to get egg nog yesterday."

"Just be careful. It's snowing and the temperature keeps dropping," Jack warned as he walked Sam to the door. "Watch out for black ice."

Sam grabbed her coat from the rack and pulled it on. She zipped it up and gave Jack a kiss. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Stay out of those presents or I'll make you wait 'til tomorrow night to open them. Got it?"

Jack straightened and snapped off a sloppy salute, "Ma'am! Yes, Ma'am!"

"I mean it, Jack," Sam admonished then gave him a kiss. "I'll see you in a bit. Love you."

"Love you lots more," Jack replied trying to prolong the kiss as Sam broke away.

Jack opened the door for Sam then closed it behind her then hurried over to the window to watch her get into her car and back out of the driveway. He was glad that he'd cleaned off the snow from her car so she didn't have to, other than turn the wipers on to clear the windshield. As soon as he saw her tail lights disappear down the street, he made his way back to the tree and to the long box with the pretty blue wrappings.

With a child-like grin, he picked up the gift and gave it a light shake. He frowned at the lack of sound. He slowly pulled at the tape that held the ends of the wrapping being extra careful not to rip the paper or crinkle the tape so that he could re-wrap it after he saw what it was. Finally the paper was off and lying neatly on the floor beside him. He didn't even try to stifle the whoop of joy when he saw the box was for a remote control helicopter that he'd wanted for months.

Willing to deal with Sam's wrath over his opening it, Jack ripped the box open and admired his new toy. He stared raptly at the shiny white chopper with thick burnt orange stripes from front to back on both sides. He gently lifted the toy from the Styrofoam and set it on the carpet then hurried to the kitchen to grab some batteries for the remote control. After all the times he looked at it at the toy store, he knew that it took four AA size batteries. Rummaging through the drawers, he was getting more frustrated at not being to immediately find what he was looking for. When he finally found the batteries Jack hurried back to the living room and put them in the battery compartment.

"Okay, beauty, let's go for a spin," Jack said gleefully as he pushed the ignition button on the remote.

A low whirring sound emitted from the toy as the rotors began to spin. Jack let out howl of excitement as the foot and a half long chopper lifted off of the floor and into the air. He sent it around the room twice before guiding it for a pass through the hallway into the kitchen then back into the living room. Another round around the room and a pass through the hallway was completed. He brought it back into the living room and laughed as he sent it buzzing over his head. Just as he turned it for another pass through the hallway, the sound of a car outside distracted his attention. His thumb bumped the control, sending the chopper into the ceiling fan that he'd installed over the summer. The chopper's rotor clanged as it hit the blade of the fan and the motor of the toy squealed as the toy spun out of control straights towards Jack's head.

Jack yelped in pain as the helicopter smacked into the corner of his forehead an inch in front of his temple. He went down in heap, hitting the same spot on his head off of the coffee table. The last thing he saw as he slipped into the black oblivion was his beloved new toy crashing into pieces just a few feet away from him.

SG1SG1SG1

"Do you believe O'Neill obeyed your command, Major O'Neill?" Teal'c asked as they pulled into Sam and Jack's driveway.

Sam laughed, "No, Teal'c I don't. I can imagine that he got into them before I even pulled out of the driveway. He was eying the present we got him before I left."

Sam shut the car off and got out. Opening the back door of the car, she grabbed the grocery bag from the backseat then walked around to open the trunk so Teal'c could get his duffle bag and gifts. They made their way to the house, stomping the snow from their shoes before stepping into the house.

"Jack, I'm home!," Sam called out as she kicked off her boots and went into the kitchen. "Go ahead and put your gifts under the tree, Teal'c."

Teal'c bowed his head and carried his things down into the living room as Sam put the carton of egg nog into the refrigerator. She got a bad feeling. The house was way too quiet and she'd yet seen or heard anything out of Jack. Closing the refrigerator door, Sam turned to go to the living room when the sound of Teal'c's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Major O'Neill, come quickly!"

Sam ran from the kitchen and down the few steps into the living room. The sight that greeted her froze her blood in her veins. Jack lay on the floor, a deep gash across the corner of his forehead oozing blood that ran into a small puddle under his head. The splintered remains of the toy helicopter lay in a heap between Jack and the fireplace. Sam hurried over and knelt down at Jack's side, her trembling hand reaching out to check for pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the weak flutter beneath her fingertips.

"Teal'c, call 911 and grab me a towel from the kitchen so I can try to stop the bleeding," Sam instructed, resting her hand on Jack's shoulder. She could hear Teal'c picking up the phone, so she leaned closer to Jack's head. "Jack, honey, can you wake up for me?"

No response; not even an eye twitch. Her heart rate sped up as she heard Teal'c requesting an ambulance. This couldn't be real. It was Christmas Eve for crying out loud! Only good things were to happen at Christmas.

"Major O'Neill, here the towel that you requested," Teal'c said as he handed her the white terry cloth. "The ambulance will arrive shortly."

"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam said as she accepted the proffered towel then gently pressed it to the wound on Jack's head. "Can you wait at the door for the ambulance and let them in?"

"I will do so, Major O'Neill."

With her attention focused on Jack, Sam didn't notice Teal'c bow his head and leave the room. A million thoughts flew through her mind, none of them good. What if he never woke up? What if he died? She was still in a shocked daze when the paramedics walked into the living room ten minutes later. Teal'c's strong hands grasped her arms and helped her to her feet then gently guided her back out of the way.

By the time they followed the gurney carrying Jack's still form to the ambulance, a light snow had began to fall. Sam did her best to ignore the nosey neighbors that had gathered to gawk at what was going on as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. She vaguely heard Teal'c say that he would follow them in Jack's truck. Right now all she could think of was getting Jack to the hospital and pray that he was going to be alright.

SG1SG1SG1

The gaggle of medical students followed closely behind Janet as she walked down the hospital hallway. She was making her last rounds of the day and she'd agreed to take the current medical class along to aide in their education. She let out a sigh of relief as they approached the last patient room that she had to visit. It wasn't that she hated her job, it was just that it had been a long day and her feet were killing her. Just as she turned to brief the students on the patient, her pager began to beep.

_Now what?_ she thought as she pulled the beeper from her waistband and read the display, _Call the ER ASAP! _

"I have to go to the nurses' station to make a call. Wait here," she told the students and started toward the nurses' desk.

Her heart began to thump and her mind began to race. Had something happened to Daniel or Cassie? Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself, Janet reached over the desk and picked up the phone. Deftly, she dialed the extension for the emergency room and allowed her thoughts to race as she listened to the ringing.

"_ER. This is Cammy."_

"Cammy, it's Janet. What's going on?" Janet questioned then held her breath as he waited for the answer.

"_It's Colonel O'Neill, Ma'am. He was brought in here two hours ago with a head injury. Dr. Jacobsen told me to page you as soon as he got the MRI results."_

"How is the Colonel?"

"_Not good, Ma'am. He hasn't regained consciousness at all and hasn't responded to any type of stimuli."_

"I'll be right down," Janet said then slammed the phone back down on the hook. "Take care of them," she told the nurse behind the desk as she motioned toward the group of med students before she barreled toward the elevator, her aching feet forgotten.

SG1SG1SG1

Sam had lost count of the amount of times that she'd paced this particular section of waiting room floor. She was glad that it wasn't carpeted or she'd have to pay to have it replaced after she'd worn a hole in it. But, she couldn't help it. It had been over two hours since they'd arrived at the hospital and they still hadn't heard anything about Jack. When she got to the far wall, she turned to go for yet another round when she caught sight of Teal'c, Daniel, and Cassie sitting in the chairs across the room. Cassie twirled her hair tightly around her left index finger as she stared anxiously at the floor while Daniel's foot tapped a tattoo on the floor. Teal'c sat with his back straight and his jaw set, the ever stoic Jaffa. It was their way of dealing with the stress, just as hers was the incessant pacing.

Another glance at the clock told her that they'd passed the three hour mark and her mind was telling her that something was seriously wrong. Just as she was about to go to the registrar's desk to make an inquiry about Jack, Janet walked into the small waiting room. Sam hurried over to her, thankful that she was here and hopeful that she had some answers.

"Janet? Have you seen Jack? How is he?"

Janet held her hand up to stop Sam's rapid-fire questions. "Dr. Jacobsen called me down about an hour ago and I've been with Jack since. Sam, why don't we have a seat while I talk?"

"Janet, please tell me?" Sam pleaded as she reluctantly sat down in a chair, Daniel, Cassie and Teal'c coming to stand near her.

Janet took a breath before beginning. "Jack hasn't regained consciousness at all since he'd arrived nor has he responded to any stimuli. There is a bruise on his brain as well as some swelling. The good thing is that he's breathing on his own, but we have him on oxygen to help him out a bit. He had a pretty deep gash on his forehead that took thirty stitches to close and the upper left side of his face is deeply bruised, but there are no fractures at all. Right now he's being admitted to the ICU," Janet replied in a low voice.

Sam choked back a sob, "Is he…? Does he..?"

"Yes, he's in a coma and as far as any brain damage, we don't know right now and we won't know until he wakes up."

For a brief moment Sam wondered how Janet knew what she couldn't say, but then it dawned on her that this is what Janet does every day, saving lives and listening to blubbering family members.

"Mom, can we go see Uncle Jack now?" Cassie asked as she swiped a tear from her cheek.

"Of course, Sweetie," Janet answered then gave her daughter a comforting smile. Turning her attention to Sam, "Are you ready, Sam?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Sam just nodded and stood from her chair. She prayed for a Christmas miracle as she followed the others out of the room.

SG1SG1SG

Christmas day had come and gone and Jack still hadn't awakened from his coma. A few times they thought he might wake, but all he did was twitch and moan. Sam sat and stared at the small Christmas tree that Cassie had brought in for Jack, watching as the battery operated lights twinkled in the dimly lit room. His unopened gifts sat beneath the tree waiting for him. The nurses had played Christmas music for the patients and made their rounds wearing Santa hats. Sam had to give them credit for doing their best to bring cheer into such a dismal environment.

The bright morning sun shone through the window of the small ICU room. Sam sat at Jack's bedside with her resting her arm on the plastic safety rail and her hand tightly ensconced in his. She'd barely left his side since the accident three days ago other than when Janet forced her to go eat and rest. She was afraid that he'd wake up when she wasn't there and she wanted to be the first to see his eyes open.

The room was silent except for the beeping of Jack's heart monitor and the soft Christmas music that played from a small radio on the bedside table. Sam smiled as she dreamed about Jack opening his eyes and giving her that smile that always made her heart race. She was jolted from her dream when she felt something brush the top of her hand. Sitting up straight in her chair she looked down at Jack. He looked as he did when she fell asleep last night, quiet and still.

Breathing a sigh of disappointment, she leaned over the rail and began to gently stroke his cheek with her finger, careful of the deep bruising. "Jack, honey, I really wish that you'd wake up. I miss you so much. It just didn't feel like Christmas without you. Please, Jack, please come back to me," she said sadly then swiped a tear from her cheek. "Jack, you're..."

Sam stopped talking and stared at Jack's face. She could have sworn that she saw his eyes move, so she waited to see if it happened again or if it was just a hopeful illusion.

"Jack? Can you open your eyes for me, please?" Sam requested when his eyelids fluttered yet again.

It took a while a lot of effort, but his eyelids did slowly slide open. The white part of his left eye was blood red, but it took nothing away from the beauty of his velvet brown irises.

"Hey, sleepy head!" Sam exclaimed.

She nearly squealed when Jack's eyes turned towards her, but the excitement quickly faded to fear when she stared into his blank eyes. He just stared at her; there was no recognition, just nothing. She reached up and pushed the call button. Within seconds, Janet came rushing into the room and up to the bed.

"What's wrong, Sam?"

"He's awake, Janet," Sam replied hesitantly. "But I think something's wrong."

Janet looked down at him and spoke. "Well, hello there, Jack. It's about time you woke up!" she said greeting him. Jack's eyes turned toward her, staring at her with no reaction. "Jack, are you in any pain?"

Jack blinked, but made no attempt to respond to her.

"Janet?"

"He just woke up, Sam. He just needs a bit of time to wake up properly. Isn't that right, Jack?" Janet smiled and patted Jack's arm. He looked at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes and falling asleep again.

Sam looked distressed. "Does he have brain damage?"

Janet shrugged. "I don't know. We'll just have to wait a few days until he's more cognizant and do some testing."

Sam sat back down in her chair and held Jack's hand while Janet checked him over. She was glad that he was awake, but she was worried about his having brain damage. Not that she cared if he did; she'd love him no matter what, but she was worried about how it would affect him.

SG1SG1SG1

Something wasn't right. He should be at home, but it didn't feel like home. Come to think of it, it didn't smell like home either. It smelled like a hospital. Infirmary? No, it couldn't be. He was at home. It was too hard to think; his head hurt too badly. There was only one way to find out and that was to open his eyes. A simple enough action, but when one's eyelids felt heavier than a ton of lead it was in itself an enormous feat to accomplish. It felt like an eternity before a sliver of bright light pierced his eyeballs making him totally regret trying to open them. But, after a few blinks, the pain in his eyes abated though not as much as the God-awful thumping in his head.

Jack's eyes roamed the room. Yep, he was in a hospital. Great! He wondered what the hell he'd done this time. His eyes drifted toward the window where a blonde figure stood with her arms crossed as she stared at the world outside.

"Sam?" His voice was barely a croak and he couldn't help but wonder if she'd heard him.

His question was answered when she turned toward him and smiled, her blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

"Hi, sweet heart!" Sam said as she hurried to his bedside and took his hand. Her touch made his heart race and the heart monitor that he was attached to announced it to anyone within earshot.

"Wha' happened?" he whispered.

"I came home from picking Teal'c up on Christmas Eve and I found you unconscious on the living room floor. Do you remember what happened?" she replied.

Jack rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes. He was so tired, but he had to think. "The last thing... I remember... was watching... you pull out... of the driveway... then it's nothing... until I woke... up a bit... ago," he haltingly said.

"Jack, that was four days ago. It's the twenty-ninth. You've been unconscious since Christmas Eve, though you woke up for a few minutes yesterday morning."

"I... missed... Christmas?"

"Yeah, Honey, you did."

"Damn," he replied.

Sam gave him a sad smile, "I'm sorry. But, Cassie brought this tree in for you and we decorated your room. Your presents are here under the tree waiting for you to open them."

Four days. Four days unconscious. That in itself was not only scary, but nearly incomprehensible. What made it worse was missing Christmas and not knowing what the hell had happened. He barely heard Sam's voice as she tried to comfort him. All he could do was try to dig deep in his memory for an explanation as sleep pulled him into its arms.

SG1SG1SG1

Jack sat up in bed with the table tray over his lap and a tray of what the hospital passed off as food sitting on top of it. He ate as much as he possibly could, but the nausea from his head injury made choking down the food harder than usual.

"You done?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Ya know I think they make that crap just to keep people in here so they get more money."

Sam just laughed and picked up the tray to take it out to the food trolley in the hallway. He leaned back in the bed and closed his eyes, thinking back on the past few days since he'd woken up. He'd endured Janet's endless testing and was pleased to learn that he hadn't damaged his brain. A smile graced his lips when he thought about kissing Sam at midnight and holding her in his arms as they welcomed in a whole new year. He was so ensconced in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his visitors enter his room.

"Hi, Uncle Jack! Are you sleeping _again_?" Cassie groused.

Jack opened his eyes to see her standing by his bed, glaring down at him impatiently with her free arm planted firmly on her hip while the other arm was laden down with gift bags. Teal'c was standing behind her with a Santa hat on his head, and a small barely perceptible smile quirking at the corner of his mouth.

"Nah, Cass, just thinkin'. Whatchya got there?"

"More presents for you. Mom let me bring them in cause she and Daniel are running late. She said that you can open your stuff without her since she's bringin' more in for ya."

Jack smiled. "Oh how nice of her. How ya doin' Teal'c?"

"I am doing just fine. It is good to see you well, O'Neill."

"Thanks, T. Nice hat."

Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement.

Cassie unloaded her parcels onto the bedside table and gently climbed onto the bed beside Jack.

"Ya ready to get started, Uncle Jack?"

"Um, can we wait a minute for Sam?"

"I'm here, Jack," Sam said as she walked into the room. "Sorry, the nurse stopped me to see if you needed anything."

"Ah. Alrighty then, Miss Cassie, which one's first?"

"This one," she replied as she handed him one of the gift bags that she'd brought with her. "It's from me."

Jack opened the bag and pulled out a remote control helicopter, and gave her a puzzled look.

Cassie gave him a big smile. "Mom said that it was like the one that Sam got you and hit you on the head. That one was ruined so I got you another one. Just please be careful with this one," she pleaded.

Jack stared at the toy and tried yet again to bring back the memory of what had happened that night. Since he'd had two distinct wounds on his head, they'd surmised that he was playing with the toy and somehow must have fumbled the controls, causing it to hit him in the head. Then, as he fell, he hit his head on the coffee table on the way down. It made perfect sense so he accepted it, but it didn't stop him from repeatedly trying to recall the memory for himself, without success.

It took him nearly an hour to open all of the gifts that were there for him and by the time he was done, he was dead tired. So, he lay there with his beautiful wife sitting by his side and Cassie cuddled up against his other side fast asleep. It occurred to him exactly how lucky he really was. He was alive, had a wonderful wife, and the best friends that any man could possibly ask for.

**THE END**

**I wish you all Happy Holidays!**

11


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